Menu

Scots law

Mark Thorley on “The Future Of Legal Aid In Scotland”

August 7, 2021 Law Practice

[Translate] EDINBURGH, 23 NOVEMBER 2021 Legal Aid Recruitment Crisis Insights from Leading Scottish Solicitor, Mark Thorley In a new insights piece, Mark Thorley, Director of a leading Scottish legal aid law firm, discusses the future of legal aid in Scotland, including the current crisis in respect of civil legal aid solicitor recruitment. It used to […]

Read the full blawg post →

WardblawG’s ScotsLawBlog: Top 25 International & Foreign Law Blogs of 2011

November 17, 2011 Blawg

[Translate] I am delighted to announce that ScotsLawBlog has been named as one of LexisNexis’ Top 25 International & Foreign Law Blogs of 2011. For those other keen bloggers or for those considering blogging for the first time, it may be surprising to learn that ScotsLawBlog has only recently marked its 1 year anniversary. Such is the […]

Read the full blawg post →

Legal Mindmaps: Obligations Part 1: Performance Interest

March 29, 2011 Academia

[Translate] I have already written a relatively comprehensive article about how law students and, indeed, practitioners can use mindmaps to study and practise law effectively. I do not intend to rehearse any of the points made there. Instead I intend to demonstrate specific examples from my time at University. Obligations Below are several examples of […]

Read the full blawg post →

WardblawG receives mention in The Law Society’s Journal

February 8, 2011 Obiter Dicta

Last month, we were mentioned in the Journal of the Law Society of Scotland by Iain Nisbet of Govan Law Centre, who himself runs a Scots law blawg at http://absolvitor.com/. Given that this website was created only in June 2010, this is to be considered a great achievement at what is still just the beginning of this blawg’s journey through the blawgosphere, alongside the other 10 great Scots blawggers mentioned and the blawgging world as a whole. The extract from the Journal Online is as follows:-

Read the full blawg post →

Tommy Sheridan Sentenced: Live Court Tweeting in Scotland

January 26, 2011 General Legal

Tommy Sheridan has been jailed for three years following his conviction in December of committing perjury during his News of the World defamation action. In sentencing Sheridan, Lord Bracadale said “By pursuing a defamation action against the News of the World, you brought the walls of the temple crashing down”

Read the full blawg post →

Sheridan trial juror attempts to comment on facebook

January 11, 2011 Scots law

As reported in the Herald Scotland , the following is what a juror in the Sheridan trial wrote on Facebook on 4 January 2010, three weeks before sentencing commences (hint: they are best read with a ned/chav nasally accent in mind):-

“hi tommy i was one off youre jurers.

hubby is 1000% behind you and so am i dawl ok i really think strong for you dawl and youre going too appeal against these idiots.”

[i’ll be] at court on the 26january too support you all the way ok pal”

.

Read the full blawg post →

How to write a first class dissertation: Chapter 2: New Propositions

October 28, 2010 Academia

Another thing that truly separates a first class dissertation from a second class one is discussion of ideas and issues that have never before been discussed. The following is an example of such a proposition and discussion, all of which stemmed from one footnote in an academic article that said a certain proposition “had never been discussed before in the courts of the UK”. Finding this loophole was essential to the dissertation’s success.

Read the full blawg post →

Supreme Court holds Scots Law breaches Art 6 ECHR | Cadder

October 26, 2010 Human Rights

The Supreme Court has on Tuesday 26 October 2010 held that Scots law breaches the right to a fair trial under Art 6 ECHR by not allowing lawyers to advise detainees in Police stations. The case, on appeal, is called Cadder. This is a big day for Scots law.

Read the full blawg post →

Every Little Helps: “Tesco Law” approved in Scotland

October 7, 2010 Law Practice

Will we see more traineeships being opened up? Will equity partners earn even more than their hundreds of thousands or millions of pounds each year? Or will equity partners be more likely to sell their stake and escape the practice of law? What effect for management decisions? Will we see greater outsourcing? Will cloud computing be more fully embraced? Will Lawsoft’s stranglehold on legal software be broken up? Will Scots law merge into English law, or will it flourish more by itself?

Read the full blawg post →

Please Subscribe?: Oversubscription of the Practice of Law

September 24, 2010 Employment

Tuesday marked the inception of the new Diploma in Legal Practice at University of Glasgow, separate from the Glasgow Graduate School of Law as it was 10 years ago, but now led b y former head of the Law Society of Scotland, Douglas Mill. And what better to mark the occasion than a series of exquisite speeches from some of Scotland’s best, including Sheriff Principal James Taylor, Lord Wallace and Lord Tyre.

Read the full blawg post →

Reclaiming Bank Charges in the Tenties: Santander Demolishes Walls

July 15, 2010 Banking and Finance

Comment

In the author’s personal opinion, it is time for the courts and, perhaps, government to stop sitting on the fence with legal argument that lends itself to squeaky clean judges’ desks. It is quite clear that the public has noted its concern. They realise, (or at least should realise by now!), that banks are businesses unlike any other. And, while the banks might enjoy the benefits of having large capital reserves, somewhat questionable following the recession, the Scottish and, indeed, the British public expect them to be treated as such in the legal systems of the UK. This effective immunity from suit should seriously be reconsidered and, the author hopes, soon.

How to Claim despite Walls being breached

Consumers may be best advised to take the recent shock wave of Allison Walls v Santander with a pinch of salt: there are certain steps, including those from moneysavingexpert.com, which are still worth considering:-

1. Send a style letter and send to the bank;
2. If unsuccessful and the bank continues to charge, send a different style letter to the Financial Ombudsman;
3. If still unsuccessful, consult a reputable solicitor and take the bank to court, but be prepared for considerable legal expenses and long, drawn out proceedings.

Banks would be best advised not to get complacent: a battle may have been won; but the war, most certainly, is not over.

Read the full blawg post →